"No problem. Have the two of you just returned from a mission?"
Ōtsutsuki Toneri smiled, then lightly shook his head at Yūhi Kurenai.
As the top shinobi village, Konoha maintained extremely strict records of anyone entering or leaving. Toneri and Kyokusen had just descended from the moon,
and with these two ninja accompanying them, entering Konoha would be remarkably easy.
"That's right. Toneri, I see you're so young… just the two of you traveling alone?"
Yūhi Kurenai nodded, then casually asked, curiosity peeking through her tone.
After all, these children were incredibly young. Toneri appeared no older than seven or eight, and the girl was barely over ten.
"Ah… yes. My father recently departed, and I've always wanted to explore the continent.
Even though I am blind, I still wish to experience its sights,"
Toneri replied with a faint sigh, then smiled gently—a clean, radiant expression that perfectly complemented his delicate, almost angelic face.
Yūhi Kurenai and Asuma remained silent for a moment. To simply 'look around'?
Such a trivial goal for ordinary people.
Yet… this child…
"Is that so… a rather admirable dream,"
Yūhi Kurenai said after a brief pause, her tone softening with a hint of pity.
"This child is not even ten, and yet has already lost the light of the world… truly unfortunate."
The cheerful, nuanced way Toneri spoke also revealed much about him.
For a child who already seemed so mature,
his childhood must have been difficult indeed—
a blind child among peers would inevitably be ignored, perhaps even bullied.
"Indeed, Toneri, if you wish to come to Konoha, you can stay there temporarily.
Konoha will welcome you,"
Asuma said with a warm, friendly smile.
Though he remained cautious of the two children,
Toneri's polite demeanor and hopeful attitude toward life made him likable.
"Thank you, both of you, but we will discuss that later,"
Toneri said lightly, smiling.
"With Kyokusen protecting me, and I am not defenseless myself, there is no need to worry about safety."
Stay in Konoha? Impossible!
Though Konoha was fine, it was not Toneri's place to settle.
He needed to grow, and he already had a direction.
Once his eyes awakened the Reincarnated Byakugan and his power increased, the plan could begin.
"Indeed, Kyokusen is very strong. But I see her… her eyes… are they Byakugan?"
Yūhi Kurenai said with interest.
She wasn't surprised;
for Toneri not to immediately agree to their invitation was perfectly normal.
Her crimson eyes then shifted to the silent Ōtsutsuki Kyokusen.
That girl's eyes—Byakugan!
No one in the shinobi world, other than the Hyūga, was known to possess such eyes.
The Hyūga clan carefully guarded their bloodline, even producing "caged birds" if necessary.
And they almost never married outside the clan, ensuring the purity of their bloodline.
Yūhi Kurenai's curiosity was natural—why did Kyokusen possess the Byakugan?
"Kyokusen's eyes are indeed Byakugan.
However, her Byakugan was not taken from elsewhere; she was born with it,"
Toneri explained gently for Kyokusen, saying no more.
He didn't bother explaining the significance of the Ōtsutsuki surname.
There was no need.
Even if he explained, they likely wouldn't believe him.
The power of the Ōtsutsuki was beyond ordinary comprehension.
After all, the shinobi world's conflicts had raged for centuries—but in truth, they were only the internal struggles of the Ōtsutsuki clan.
The Prince, the Second Pillar, Uchiha Obito, Uchiha Madara, Senju Hashirama, Toneri himself, and later the three of Ōtsutsuki Momoshiki—
which one of these top-tier figures didn't have ties to the Ōtsutsuki?
In one simple question, one could gauge someone's power and connections.
"What's your father's surname?"
That's all it took.
Check if they had connections to the Ōtsutsuki, and knowing the surname would reveal everything…
"I see… perhaps a descendant of the Hyūga left outside the clan?"
Yūhi Kurenai murmured, then smiled lightly.
She had no further assumptions.
No matter how pure the bloodline, accidents happen—maybe Kyokusen was one of them.
Sarutobi Asuma nodded in agreement, thinking the same.
However, Kyokusen's delicate brows furrowed slightly.
"Hmph—"
A derisive, cold laugh escaped her.
She ridiculed their self-assured guess.
A descendant left behind?
If Kyokusen hadn't liked how these two spoke to Toneri, she would have already given them a taste of her palm—one each.
Hyūga?
Even if strong, could they surpass the Ōtsutsuki of the moon?
The Ōtsutsuki preserved their bloodline nearly perfectly.
They possessed bodies akin to the Sage Transformation,
trained at speeds far beyond the shinobi of the continent,
and were led by Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo himself.
Their legacy was far more complete than the Hyūga's.
In simple terms: the Hyūga were mere children of absent mothers,
while the Ōtsutsuki of the moon were true-born heirs.
How could the two even compare?